“How’s everyone holding up?!” Jingyu Hilin, the leader of the Lantis Republic’s Spirit Venerates, gave a firm holler as she cut down one Tier 7 Spirit Beast. Red veins could be seen throughout her peach forehead, and her clothes were drenched in a mixture of rainwater and sweat. Although there weren’t any visible injuries on the woman’s body, one could tell that mentally, she was drained and frustrated.

“These fuckers are endless!” Qilong Wuga complained while his Seven-Headed Hydra continuously generated dense torrential winds. “At this rate, we’ll run out of mana before we even reach the Obsidian Gate!”

Every single Spirit Venerate stood silently, agreeing with the man’s statement. For the longest time now, the Lantis Republic’s Spirit Venerates had been attempting to close that bloody gate which was spewing out thousands of Umbras per second. Alas, it was easier said than done. Before the Spirit Venerates could even make it a kilometre, a new wave of Umbras would crash into their Spirits, forcing them back thousands of steps. Though the Spirit Beasts weren’t all that strong, there was power in numbers. No matter how powerful the Spirit Venerates were, they still had their limitations, both in physical powers and their overall mana pool.

In due time, the Spirit Venerates would be exhausted beyond recovery, leaving them vulnerable to the onslaught of the Umbras. By then, it wouldn’t matter if the Lantis Republic forces were Spirit Venerates or Spirit Practitioners, they would all be taken apart all the same.

Jingyu Hilin watched over her fellow Spirit Venerates, observing their every movement. Although the majority of them were in the pink of health, she could tell that their mana was nearly halfway exhausted. Overpowered abilities that cleared thousands of Umbras in one-shot weren’t infinite after all. She puckered her lips and allowed her General mind to take over.

‘Should I give the order to retreat?’ The Spirit Venerate thought. In any other circumstances, it would be wise for the Lantis Republic’s forces to make a tactical retreat, regroup and come up with a different plan of attack. However, these weren’t ordinary circumstances. If they retreated, all of the Umbras, including the Black Masks, would make a smooth getaway into the horizons, where no one could ever hope to find them.

The moment Jingyu Hilin gave that order, the Alliance would lose all hope of ever catching Junius and the Black Masks within the region. The Spirit Venerate turned her head up, her eyes zooming in on the fantastical barrier that was immune to all impurities. Neither rain or shine could enter the thick energy barrier, and a tremendous amount of spiritual energy was being emitted from its core.

‘The Prince would be especially unhappy...’ Jingyu Hilin frowned. The whole reason why the Lantis Republic had sent such a powerful force into the area was due to Shin. If they pulled back and potentially allow Junius to escape for another time, Shin would be sure to unleash the wrath of the Celestial Dragon upon the Spirit Venerates.

‘Tsk, there’s no helping it...’ The woman performed a somersault, turning her attention to the second most senior person in the group. “Yisa, hold the lines for me! I need to have a talk with the Prince!”

“Huh, me?” Meijing Yisa, who had been supporting the rest of the Spirit Venerates with everything that she had, pointed her index finger to herself in confusion. “I’m not a combat-oriented Spirit User, you know that!”

“Yeah, I know!” Jingyu Hilin screamed back. Following that, she turned her attention to the two rampaging Spirit Venerates who had both their domains spread out. “Wuga! Xiuteo! Hold back on the killing for now! Conserve your mana and assist Yisa in holding the lines! Once I get confirmation from the Prince, we’ll retreat immediately!”

The Spirit Venerates had to leave before they were completely overrun. Losing favour with the Prince was bad, but it would be nowhere near as terrible as losing their lives on the battlefield.

“You want me to group up with that Longyu Clan bastard? How ludicrous… My power is more than enough to hold the lines!!!” The Qilong Clan’s Spirit Venerate spat, prompting a piercing glare from his compatriot.

“Oh ho… You honestly think that you’re stronger than me, huh?” Longyu Xiuteo congregated a dense blob of mana in his right hand as the Sovereign Koi spun a few rounds. “Why don’t we test that theory right now? I’m sure the Umbras can wait for a second or two as I push your head into your ass!”

“Hmph! There’s no need to pause my attack! My one finger is capable of taking you on!” Qilong Wuga released his left hand and used his index finger to spur the agitated Longyu Clan Spirit Venerate on. And well… The fish had taken the bait.

Longyu Xiuteo face turned vermillion as smoke seemed to flow out from his nostrils. “You fucking retard...” The Spirit Venerate raised his arms over his head, sending legions of spiritual energies into the open air. Umbras detonated from the inside, as dense water elementals danced all around. The Sovereign Koi that measured over two metres in length had opened its jaw, ready to suck in the brazen man that dared to demean its master.

“Damn it, these assholes!” Jingyu Hilin spat, ready to clap back at the morons that dared to fight during these drastic times. However, before the woman even had the opportunity, a cold voice echoed within the compounds of their brains.

“Hah… Looks like the problems between the Longyu and Qilong Clan still persists huh?”

“!!!” All the Lantis Republic’s Spirit Venerates leapt back with their Spirits unleashed. The prolonged battle with the Black Masks had heightened their senses to the utmost limit. Just a stray breeze was enough to ring alarm bells all over their heads, and yet… No one had noticed the owner of the sombre voice. The Spirit Venerates universally cocked their heads, curious to figure out the identity of the mysterious person.

“That is!” Lady Seph, who was still assisting Shin in his mana recovery, dropped her jaw so wide that an apple could fit within. Her eyes were quivering, and the golden light that flowed out of her palms had faltered a little. However, being the expert healer that she was, Lady Seph quickly got her emotions in order; but that didn’t mean she wasn’t utterly flabbergasted.

A leathery-faced elderly man, with luxurious silver hair, stood silently in the centre of the skies. The wrinkles on his slightly browned face had been enriched from the passage of time, and the lifeless eyes that seemed nonchalant to the changes around him scared the living daylights out of those that peered deep within his soul. The man was holding onto a near two-metre-long spear, blessed with the splendour of the world’s shiniest metal. RIght below its tip, there was a thick silver chain crisscrossing around the shaft.

Every few seconds, the spear would shake like a leaf, as if it was a shaking jail cell, locking in a violent beast that couldn’t wait to be unleashed. Though, that wasn’t the main draw of the spear. What really shook the Spirit Venerates, and the entire battlefield as a whole, was the immense spiritual pressure that the elderly man generated. It was as if the entire Terre Continent had switched positions with the sky. If not for their resilient bodies as Spirit Venerates, they would have been forced to kneel or risk having their heads crushed from the pressure.

There was only one entity in the entire world that could make the Spirit Venerates feel this way…

“Spirit Saint...” The World Serpent hissed, its venomous eyes glaring daggers at the elderly man. A Spirit Saint appearing was not part of the plan. Ao could deal with a handful of Spirit Venerates, but a Spirit Saint was a whole other story. Among all the forces that the Black Masks had, only Kuro, the sole Primordial Beast in the syndicate and the Allfather himself could stand toe-to-toe with a Spirit Saint. Furthermore, the man that had appeared was no mere Spirit Saint…

“I greet the Himmel Ancestor!” Jingyu Hilin was the first to bow her head with her hands cupped. There were only eleven Spirit Saints in the entire world, and all of their details were recorded. How they looked like? What Spirits do they possess? What were their behavioural habits? Which wine was their favourite? Nothing was left to the imagination, and those who held senior positions would be capable of identifying all eleven of the Spirit Saints, Jingyu Hilin included. A leather-faced man who held the legendary Spirit disguised as a spear… There was only one Spirit Saint in the entire world that fit that profile.

“I greet the Himmel Ancestor!” Longyu Xiuteo followed suit. It took a few seconds, but eventually, even the prideful Qilong Wuga had to gulp down a mouthful of saliva and bend the head.

The whole battlefield came to a standstill. It didn’t matter if they were from the Black Masks or the Alliance. They all had to hold their punches and stare at the dignified, old man. The Shield of the Himmel Empire… The God of Martial Arts… Saint of Spears… The man went by many names in the mortal world… However, the one that everyone knew him by… The one that made every single person freeze in the battlefield…

“The Strongest Man in the World...” Ao spat.

Before the Allfather announced his existence, the Rank 96 Spirit Saint was widely considered to be the world’s strongest being. Thus, even though the Himmel Empire only had three Spirit Saints compared to the Kori Federation or Lantis Republic’s four, no one dared to move against the southern superpower. He knew no equal and could quite easily defeat two Spirit Saints all on his own.

The Himmel Ancestor turned his attention to the skies, where his eyes met Lady Seph’s. The blonde beauty’s shoulders tensed up as she desperately fought the urge to look away. It has been a long time since she’d last met with the Spirit Saint after all and they hadn’t particularly parted on good terms. The Himmel Ancestor stifled a laugh, before finally landing his eyes on the black-haired boy, who was still in the midst of meditation.

‘So that’s the boy that Isadore mentioned...’ The Ancestor narrowed his eyes, carefully examining every nook and cranny of the youth. For the longest time, the Ancestor had been living in seclusion. Though he’d heard whispers of Shin’s deeds, to him, the black-haired youth was just a good friend of his disciple.

The Ancestor watched the vast amounts of spiritual energy flow back into Shin’s Spectre Soul at an astonishing rate. The Celestial Dragon kept opening its mouth, greedily sucking in whatever elements it possibly could. Shin’s face was wholly focused on recovering and hadn’t noticed the sudden appearance of the Spirit Saint, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing… The faster Shin recovered, the sooner he could return to the battlefield.

‘What a splendid talent… Mmmm, perhaps listening to Isadore wasn’t that bad of an idea.’ The elderly man chuckled mentally.

“S-Sir Ancestor,” Jingyu Hilin broke the Spirit Saint’s train of thought, moving in with a curious smile. “If I may be so bold… Are you here to destroy the Obsidian Gate?” Against any other person, Hilin would be the same domineering general that everyone knew her for. However, the Himmel Ancestor was a different story. In front of the dominating man, she could only purr like a gentle kitten.

“...” The Himmel Ancestor didn’t spare the woman a single glance. Instead, his eyes were focused on the World Serpent and the Colossal Obsidian Gate that pumped up Umbras by the thousands. If nothing were done, in just an hour, the whole region would be swamped with Spirit Beasts, making it impossible for anyone to reach the Obsidian Gate anymore.

“Not on my watch...” A silver blob erupted out of the elderly man’s mouth as he spun the gorgeous spear around. “Lantis brats… Keep the World Serpent and Black Masks company… Let me take down that gate...”

Without any warnings, the Himmel Ancestor flew deeper into the ocean of Umbras. Silver flashes sparked throughout the entire battlefield as beasts were mowed down continuously. The man’s leathery skin lacked any moisture, and his muscles weren’t overly defined and yet… The Ancestor moved through the Umbras like a graceful swan. Every single Spirit Beast, no matter their Tier, were decapitated with one clean cut. There was no restraint in his movements, and before anyone could count to three, the Ancestor was already in the centre of the Umbras.

However, instead of continuing his onslaught to the gate… The Ancestor… stopped.

Thousands, no millions of Umbras were surrounding him, but the man felt completely at ease. He was undeterred by the immense pressure that was mounting on his decrepit body and raised his spear up to the heavens.

“Oh… Dear Forefathers… Loan me the strength to defeat the enemy of the Himmel Empire...”

Terrestrial light emerged from the depths of the Ancestor’s soul, creating ten thousand silverish-yellow wisps. Mana, one of the type that none of the Spirit Venerates had ever felt before, broke out into the battlefield, causing Umbras that weren’t at Tier 4 to perish instantly. The mana was so breathtakingly painful that even Shin, who was at least ten kilometres away and protected by the Obsidian Xuanwu’s shell felt his chest contract.

Crack… Crack… Crack...

The chains that bound the Spirit of Himmel were finally showing cracks. Metal pieces, linked to the Spirit Saint’s soul, fell to the floor and continued to provide mana for the floating wisps. Bit by bit… The sealed form of the Spirit was being unravelled for all to see. An emerald banner broke free from the chains and fluttered wildly amidst the rapid rainy winds.

Everyone nearby could see the beautiful banner. A silver emblem, one depicting a crown with golden chains held up by three spears, was centred in the middle of the banner. Yes… The Spirit of Himmel’s true form… wasn’t a spear at all. It was a glorious flag depicting the bloodline of Himmel.

As everyone felt breathless from the pressure. Spirit Venerates who were known to be the top of their fields were now shaking like leaves in an autumn wind. The power that the Spirit Saint was emitting… It was far too much for anyone to bear. However, the Himmel Ancestor hardly cared. His emerald eyes glowed with a divine splendour as he said the final… mystical… words...

“Arise… Come aide me… HEROES OF HIMMEL!!!”